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January 14, 2012

Werner Braun: Walking safer with carpet

Dalton Daily Citizen

Friday the 13th — It’s a day on the calendar that either means nothing or scares you to death. Superstitious fears, such as having a black cat cross your path or breaking a mirror are heightened on this unlucky day.

Did you know that Friday the 13th occurs at least once a year, and never more than three times in one year?

Despite the negative connotations with the day, there is a guarantee that “bad luck” should occur no more than three times in one year, and in my line of work, I wish I could predict the same for the probability of slipping in your home or business.

It’s something many of us don’t talk about until it’s too late, but slips and falls do happen.  The good news is slips and falls can be prevented, and one thing that helps prevent these accidents is carpet.

It has been well-established by both OSHA and insurance companies that well-maintained carpet and the presence of floor matting at entrances help ensure safer floors. Carpeted surfaces are significantly more effective at preventing slips and falls than hard, smooth surfaces. And when accidents do happen, they tend to be less severe on carpet.

As I’ve discussed previously in this column, carpet is ideal for cushioning footsteps, reducing slips and falls and minimizing injury when falls do occur. Carpet provides safety protection for the whole family, but especially for toddlers and older individuals.

Carpet’s inherently safety is borne out by a study of 225 “slip and fall incidents” from hospital records of older patients. Of the group falling on carpet, only 17 percent sustained injury. In the group falling on hard surface flooring, nearly 50 percent sustained injury.

For those individuals who use braces, canes or walkers, maintaining balance can be less difficult with low pile carpet combined with an extra firm cushion.  

Together in 2012, the National Floor Safety Institute and CRI are planning to conduct a joint study on the effectiveness of entrance floor matting in removing moisture from pedestrian footwear.

This will allow us to continue exploring ways in which we can all walk a little easier, even on Friday the 13th.



Werner Braun is president of Dalton-based Carpet and Rug Institute.

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